Alleged flasher sues water park after arrest

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Jane Lovett’s wet t-shirt aroused water park officials to take action last April. She was asked to leave the park because her padded bra was visible through the t-shirt (the horror!), and once she did leave, the cops were waiting. Apparently, she has been charged with indecent exposure, which would put every sunbather on Central Park‘s Great Lawn at risk of facing a firing squad (padded bras are not the norm there, I assure you … husbands, don’t bring your wives).

Here’s the way the arrest went down:

Lovett said she accompanied her husband and seven-year-old son to the water park. Outside the gates, she said a police officer asked for her identification. Tavares police claim Lovett didn’t give her name fast enough, WFTV reported. She was picked up on charges of obstruction of justice and resisting arrest without violence.

The charges have since been dropped, though the alleged indecency cost her five hours in jail and $1,500 in fines.

Lovett isn’t taking the experience lying down. She’s picked up a lawyer and plans to sue for “violation of civil rights, false arrest and malicious prosecution,” according to MSNBC.

[photo by bonez1255 via Flickr]

Man arrested in Mexico smuggling 18 monkeys in his pants

by Meg Nesterov on

Are those monkeys in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

A Mexican man was arrested upon arrival in Mexico City after flying from Lima, Peru with 18 titi monkeys strapped around his waist. While the monkeys traveled in his luggage, Roberto Sol Cabrera placed the endangered monkeys into socks that fit into a waist girdle “to protect them from X-rays,” though two of the monkeys did not survive the journey, sadly.

Police said Mr. Sol Cabrera behaved “nervously” when questioned at customs, not surprising given the amount of squirming primates near his privates. He reportedly paid around $30 per monkey in Peru that could fetch up to $1,550 each as exotic pets on the Mexican market. He is being investigated on charges of trafficking an endangered species. After similar arrests of smuggling via hat and shirt, I look forward to a monkey-smuggling episode of Locked Up Abroad.

[Via BBC News.]

[Photo credit: Brian Gratwicke]

Aussies beware: government won’t help you

by Tom Johansmeyer on

“If you’re too dumb or idle to read the travel advisories … then you ought to take responsibility for your own behaviour,” says former Australian foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer.

And, he has a point. If you roll the dice, you have to be ready to lose … even if you get lucky sometimes.

Australian tourists outside their homeland have been getting into trouble lately – be it because of stolen bar mats or travel to war-torn countries. It’s hard not to respect any sense of adventure, but part of growing that testicular fortitude is knowing that you’re on your own. Downer was shocked to learn that he was “responsible” for every Australian abroad … not to mention being responsible for “their own stupidity.”

Downer says that Australians overseas are subject to special laws … and they are not laws from Australia. The lesson from down under applies anywhere. Leave your home turf, and you really should understand the laws of the land you’re about to explore.

June 4 trial date for American journalists in North Korea

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, both reporters for Current TV, will be tried in a North Korean court on June 4, 2009 for entering the country illegally and planning “hostile acts.” Ling and Lee were picked up along North Korea‘s border with China on March 17, 2009

Anybody want to guess how this one will end?

According to reports by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which is controlled by the state, the two reporters have been allowed contact with a consulate. Since the United States does not maintain diplomatic relations with the reclusive Communist state, they met with a representative from the Swedish embassy. Sweden plays the consular role for visitors (willing or otherwise) from many western countries.

What’s missing is a clear description of the charges. It is unclear what the reporters were doing. This will make it difficult to bring the affair to a conclusion.

Though it’s speculation at this point, the charges could carry prison terms of up to two years.

Moscow luggage handlers lighten load

by Tom Johansmeyer on

What’s going on in Moscow? If you have any valuables in your luggage, they may not be there when you get to the hotel! Well, maybe the odds are better now that police at the city’s main international airport have arrested several luggage handlers suspected of sifting through bags and pocketing the good stuff.

The thefts began in early January at Sheremetyevo Airport. It seems that a daily flight to Sharm el-Sheik, a Red Sea resort in Egypt, was the most popular target. This destination is something of a favorite among Russians. So, the bags on Nord Wind Flight 1921 were lightened a bit, especially of cameras, computers and jewelry.

Police spokeswoman Yelena Starkova was stingy with the details, not revealing how many arrests were made or the value of the stolen goods.